


Candy Cane Capers

by EllenMarieP



Series: Thomas Barrow Christmas Prompts [19]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Baxter is the sister Thomas should have had, F/M, Sibling teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28227156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllenMarieP/pseuds/EllenMarieP
Summary: Part 19 of the Christmas prompt challenge.Candy Cane-“Why is there a candy cane stuck in your hair?”Thomas teases Phyllis. It takes her a while to figure out why.Conversation heavy for which I apologise.
Relationships: Phyllis Baxter/Joseph Molesley
Series: Thomas Barrow Christmas Prompts [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030419
Comments: 9
Kudos: 28
Collections: A Very Thomas Barrow Christmas 2020





	Candy Cane Capers

**Candy Cane Capers**

Mrs Molesley was quietly sat in the servants’ hall one afternoon repairing one of her Ladyships hats when Thomas Barrow strolled in and, after seemingly pausing in the doorway, took a seat in his rocking chair by the fire. They sat in comfortable silence for several moments before she noticed she was being watched and she looked over at him with a quizzical look but couldn’t make out his expression.

“Everything alright Mr Barrow?”

Thomas nodded slowly before getting up and moving to sit directly opposite her, leaning forward and folding his arms on the table.

“We’ve known each other for a long time haven’t we Mrs Molesley?”

“We have.”

“You’re basically the sister I wish I had instead of the one I got.”

“Thank you?”

“We can trust each other, can’t we? I mean you’d tell me if there was anything going on?”

To say that Mrs Molesley was confused was an understatement, but she knew better than to try and predict where he was going with this, it never ended well when she tried to beat him to his own punchline even when he was a child.

“I suppose I would, yes.”

“Hmmm. How’s your day been?”

“My day?”

“Yes, your day. You know, from this morning until right now. Your day.”

“Have you been drinking Mr barrow?”

“No, I have not!”

Poor Phyllis was completely lost now but couldn’t help feeling like Thomas was thoroughly enjoying confusing her and that she was inadvertently playing straight into his hands.

“My day has been the usual I suppose. It’s the school holidays so I did go back to the cottage to have lunch with Mr Molesley.”

“And nothing exciting happened?”

“Should it have?”

“You didn’t feel like doing anything adventurous?”

That gave Phyllis pause but…he couldn’t know about that could he? Surely not.

“Mr Barrow, I don’t know what’s gotten into you or why you’re asking such silly questions but no nothing exciting happened and no I didn’t feel like doing anything adventurous. Now if you’re quite finished I need to get back to her Ladyships hat.”

If she’d hoped that being stern with him would work then she was sadly mistaken. It may have worked when he was four but now his serious expression simply turned in to a cheeky and mischievous grin that managed to fill her with both dread and joy. It was so rare now that she saw that smile on his face, she just wished she wasn’t the one putting it there for reasons which she suspected she was about to find out.

“Mrs Molesley?”

“What!?”

“Why is there a candy cane stuck in your hair?”

“OH!”

Her hands shot to her hair and sure enough, there at the back, was a single candy cane tangled in her thick brunette locks. She’d spent so much time checking her skirts before she’d left the cottage, she never thought to check her hair and her husband was in too much a state of bliss to notice much of anything. Mr Molesley may not have touched he hair himself but now she was remembering the line of candy canes she’d strung along the wall as an extra decoration, just at head height.

Mortified she launched herself out of her seat and ran to the bathroom, Mr Barrows delighted laughter following her down the hall. As she ran she couldn’t stop the thought that ran through her head;

_‘Oh, why didn’t we stick to the bed? Thomas is never going to let Joseph live this down.’_


End file.
